Evgeni Plushenko will have an back operation Thursday that will leave him temporarily unable to walk and out of the sport "for a long time," his coach Alexei Mishin told R-Sport on Wednesday.

Plushenko will be unable to walk for a month, realistically ending his hopes of competing at the world championships in March, and the focus will be on chasing his dream of a second Olympic gold medal in Sochi next year.
“Tomorrow, he will undergo the operation, but his preparation plans won’t be altered, because he’ll be able to walk and swim in four weeks’ time.” “The recovery will last a long time, but not so much to set back his preparation for the (2013-14) season where the main competition will be the Olympics,” Mishin said.

I have a ton of respect for Plushenko and would love to see him go out with a great performance. But reading about all his health issues, and now this surgery, I really wish he'd call an end to his competitive career. He has nothing left to prove to anyone and he's risking his long-term health; I'd hate to see him face the possible consequences of that. I really do feel that he should call it a day and perform in shows instead, so that his many fans can continue to enjoy his skating.